PERSONAL HEROES
Updated Tuesday, July 26, 2005
These personal heroes are people that I was blessed to meet, and/or whose impact upon me was so pronounced that I patterned my life based upon their image and presentations. Some, like Mr. Sherwood, were misunderstood for decades before maturity allowed me to appreciate the gift of their concern.
My list starts off with my MOTHER. Creola E.
Thompson 
,
(1918-1970) the oldest daughter of thirteen
children born to Dock and Celeste Thompson
of Williston, South Carolina. For most of our time together it was my mother and me.
Divorced from my father, Ollie Morgan, they were embroiled in a custody thing that
resulted in me having numerous addresses before turning five years old, when my mother
settled in Chicago, Illinois she re-married . She was my "way shower", and, to
this day, I continue to draw off her teachings. My ambition remains, "to
be the man my mother was".
Muhammad Ali was a "greater than life" personality I had the pleasure of meeting on several occasions. The first time was in 1967 on Cottage Grove Avenue on Chicago's southside. As it was our paths crossed rather frequently as the years passed. I met all of his wives; including his current wife. I supported him when he refused to be inducted into the army and chose jail instead. No doubt he talked plenty of trash, but, as a fighter and a role model, he certainly gave you something to shoot at. Now the U.S. is finally giving Muhammad his just due; unfortunately his condition prohibits true appreciation that now he is recognized as a symbol of courage whereas before he was labeled a traitor and had his crown stripped from him.
Hugh Hefner? Yes, Hef. I literally grew up on Playboy Magazine, for better or worst. I actually read the articles. Admittedly, the magazine did give me an unrealistic expectation of feminine charm, but practical experience brought me down to earth. There were many injustices corrected by the Playboy Foundation. At one time there were laws on the books that placed great restrictions upon the sexual activities of consenting adults. Just as there were injustices created by racism that the Playboy Foundation successfully fought to correct. There is more to Hef than naked women, but there is no doubt that he has seen his share and then some. I ain't mad at him.
Pauline Johnson 
taught
English at Kalamazoo Central High School. At the time she was the only black teacher in
the Kalamazoo public school system, and as luck would have it, a personal friend of my
mother. Ms. Johnson was my mother's "eyes and ears" in the hallways, and I
seldom forgot that. She was also one of those teachers that took time to know her
students, and to encourage them. I failed to heed most of her advice, but I'm blessed that
she gave it.
Martin Luther King 
came to
Chicago frequently, and, during those turbulent sixties, I was in the thick of the Civil
Rights Movement. On more than one occasion I was in the same room with Dr. King, and heard
him speak candidly about "the movement", and what was needed for black Americans
to realize the true American Dream. I don't claim an intimate knowledge, but to have known
the man has equipped me with a great belief that justice can, and will, be done.
Joe Louis, 
for a time, lived near my godmother's
apartment building. Wow, I'd spend hours just waiting to get a glimpse of him going to his
car; generally parked in his driveway. "The Champ" shook my hand more than once.
He made me feel proud then as he does now, and that he took time to notice me for but a
second was a special blessing.
Sheila McCaskill 
has been a close
friend, business partner, confidant, and advisor for over a score of years. She
exemplifies courage, intellect, compassion, and a willingness to get involved. Oh yeah,
she's a Delta. There have been many times over the
years that her advice and counsel proved invaluable, and I salute her before the world.
She is currently the Director of Chicago's Nature Museum, the oldest museum in the city.
Sheila's HOT BUTTON is children. Any
children. Hers, yours, mine, for her it makes no difference. Once a school teacher she
remains a HERO for a small army of people who have relied heavily on her guidance and
direction. Click
Here to Visit Sheila's Dream House
Harvey Sherwood 
was one
of my high school teachers; World History (Sophomore year), and Government &
Economics (Senior Year). I use to think him the worst kind of racist.
Kalamazoo Central High School was predominately white then. Racism prevailed like it only can in the Midwest. Thursday Night was "colored night" at the city's only skating rink. Black girls were not permitted to join the band follies because their legs didn't blend; or so they were told in 1961. Mr. Sherwood was always on my case, and encouraging me to go to some "colored school" like Fisk University, or Tuskegee Institute. I did not understand then, Mr. Sherwood, and I apologize for my ignorance. He knew that on any "American campus" I would be a "colored student", but had I attended a traditionally black college or university I would have been a "student", and I would have been educated in what I had to learn on my own.
Harvey L. Sherwood taught for thirty-nine (39). He passed away on November 12, 1961. I can only hope that he understood what I did not understand, then. Mr. Sherwood believed in what he did, and history was his passion.
Harold Washington was one of the few that truly believed that he could work the system to the benefit of the disenfranchised. Had he lived he might have pulled it off. He certainly, during his tenure as Mayor of Chicago, gave it his all. Chicago has never had a mayor like Harold before or since. People in the Second City were openly friendly, filled with energy, and supportive in Harold's fight against a politically slanted City Council. I first met Harold in 1975 when he was with state government. Some evenings we would stand on the corner of State and Randolph Streets and just talk. I knew then he was brilliant. Also evident was the character of the man. He is one of the few politicians that I ever worked to elect and I've never regretted it.
Harold 
attending
political rally for Harold's re-election.
GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN
